Vehicles revving up Delhi flyovers double noise pollution level

A CRRI study blames the city flyovers for turning up the noise pollution levels.Read comments

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Maneesh Pandey

New Delhi

July 12, 2010

UPDATED: July 12, 2010 10:25 IST

The national capital's flyovers have turned into giant vuvuzelas, blowing vehicular noise double the prescribed limits into the ears of people even six- seven floors above the ground.

A study conducted by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) blames the hundred- odd flyovers that have mushroomed in the city in recent years for turning up the noise pollution levels in the capital.

The noise pollution on the top of these flyovers - considered to be the panacea for Delhi's mounting traffic problem - increases by 6- 8 decibels (dB) compared to noise levels on the roads. One big reason for this is that drivers of heavily loaded trucks rev up engines to climb on the flyovers.

One heavily- loaded truck creates noise equal to 28 cars, the study says, adding that most of these flyovers are used by trucks entering Delhi from neighbouring Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

The noise limits prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have almost exceeded by 100 per cent at major traffic intersections, the study says.

"Everyday noise exposure over time has an impact upon our ability to hear and on the degree of hearing loss that develops.

Constant exposure to loud noise can cause hearing loss. Many nerves and veins that connect to the brain are also affected," said Dr J.M. Hans, director, ENT and cochlear implant centre, BLK Memorial Hospital in Delhi. Noise pollution causes direct mechanical damage to cochlear inner ear structure and noise has also been found to affect the physical health of children, he said.

"The study was carried out at some major flyovers, namely Ashram, Modi Mill, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Nehru Place, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Apollo Hospital and Moolchand in south Delhi and Shahdara in east Delhi," said Anuradha Shukla, head of CRRI's transport planning and environment wing.

Some major traffic intersections, like those at Hauz Khas, Green Park, Badarpur and Qutub Minar also formed part of the study.

Nasim Akhtar, the CRRI scientist who conducted the pilot study, said the alarming rise in the decibel count was affecting people living in high rise residential buildings up to a radius of 100ft near these flyovers.

Earlier, the noise was confined to the first and second floors. But the study found that the residents on fourth and fifth floors, especially at Ashram and Nehru Place, were also affected by the noise.

Residents on the seventh floor of highrises near the Nehru Place flyover are affected by noise levels up to 78.6 dB - anything over 70 dB has a ' severe' impact on hearing, according to the study - against the prescribed 55 dB. At Nehru Place, the average noise level is79.24 dB. But it touches 82 dB during peak hours.

At Ashram, the noise levels at night averages almost double of what is prescribed by the CPCB: 45 dB for residential areas. The average noise level at the place is 79.45 dB between 6 am and 10 pm, touching between 86 and 88 dB during peak hours. The residents on the third and fourth floors of Science Apartments located in the area are said to be most affected by this noise pollution.

There is no let- up for people even in the designated silent zones such as AIIMS and Apollo Hospital. The noise levels in these areas touch 76.63 dB and 78.36 dB respectively against the prescribed 40 dB. "Patients on the third floor of AIIMS and nearby Safdarjang Hospital are gravely affected by the noise," Akhtar said.

The CRRI study points to the IIT flyover as an area where the CPCB noise limits have almost doubled.

"At IIT, the average noise level is 78.63 dB against the prescribed 45 dB. While the ground- level traffic affects the lower levels of buildings, noise from vehicles speeding up to the top of flyovers affect sixth- seventh floor residents in the vicinity," the study says.

Residents of some areas affected by the debilitating noise pollution have tried to find solutions on their own. To muffle the noise, people in Friends Colony and those working in office buildings on Mathura Road have constructed thick brick walls to keep out the sound of heavy vehicles. The new flyover at Munirka has a sound barrier.

The international guidelines for noise exposure are defined. These say that people who are continuously exposed to a noise level of greater than 85 dB must be under hearing conservation programme and should be provided ear protection.

Internationally recognised standards show that a blast of loud noise involving 120 to 155 dB can cause severe to profound sensorial hearing loss, pain and pain associated with loud noise. Hearing protection in the form of muffs or plugs is highly recommended if a person is likely to be exposed to loud noise, Dr Hans of BLK Memorial Hospital said.

"People living near airports, highways, and railroads are majorly exposed to noise pollution. They are disturbed by the noise and it has been evident that they remain stressed by the noise and, in turn, experience physiological problems," Dr Hans said.

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